Tank-car.



A. E. SMITH.

BANK GAR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1913. 1,093,737; Patented Apr. 21, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1. 8 FIG. I z

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO..WASHINGTDN, n. c.

A. E. SMITH.

' TANK GAR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 23, 1913. v

Patented Apr. 21, 19M

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

In l I 'L I I i L mi: (17

TINTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABRAM E. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TANK-CAR.

- county of Kings, and State of New York,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Tank-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in tank cars of the type generally employed for the transportation of liquids in bulk, and usually consisting of a horizontally disposed cylindrical tank resting on cross or body-bolsters supported on trucks, and a running gear which may be of any desired construction or type.

The primary object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for supporting a running board along which the trainmen walk when attending to their duties during the running of the train, or when for any other reason it is desirable or necessary to walk around the tank, as when it is being filled, cleaned, inspected or repaired.

A further object is to provide means for supporting a running board which will be independent of the tank shell, so that the tank shell will not be subjected to dangerous strains due to the weight of the trainmen eX- erted on the running board.

In tank car construction, as far as I am aware, it has been the usual practice to support the running boards upon brackets or other supports riveted to the shell of the tank, which construction has been objectionable for the reason that the weight of the trainmen on the running boards serves to distort the metal of the shell at the points where the brackets or other supports are riveted, which results in loosening of the rivets and leakage from the tank. necessitating expensive repairs and extended periods during which the car is out of use. as well as resulting in a loose and dangerous condition of the running board. The construction is also obiectionable because blows given the running board bv obstacles accidentally coming in the path thereof cause loosening of the rivets connecting the supports with the tank, and consequent leakage.

The invention consists in the improvements to be more fully described hereinafter, and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

1 have fully and clearly illustrated my in- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 23, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914:.

Serial No. 775,197.

vention in the annexed drawings, to be taken as a part of this specification, and wherein-- Figure l is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of my invention, parts being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detailed view in side elevation of one end of the tank car construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4 is a top plan View of another embodiment of the same broad invention. Fig. 5 is a view partly in end elevation and partly in section, the sect-ion being taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail view in side elevation of one end of the tank car constructed as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

I desire it understood that the invention is not limited to any particular type of tank car in which the tank is supported upon body-bolsters, but I have hereinafter described it as embodied in a structure in which the tank is supported upon a cradle-beam or body-bolster adapted to be arranged over a truck-bolster, and in which the trucks are not connected except through the tank body, and also in a construction in which the tank is supported upon cross-beams or members supported from a center sill or sills which connect the trucks.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, and particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 respectively, wherein the invention is illustrated as applied to a tank car construction in which the tank is supported on bodybolsters, in a type of car in which the trucks are connected by the tank body, 1 designates a tank body consisting of a horizontally disposed cylindrical shell arranged with its longitudinal axis lengthwise of the car structure. This tank may be of any desired construction and form, and I therefore do not desire to be limited to any particular construction of tank, as my invention is appli cable to tank cars generally. This tank rests at its end portions in the embodiment being described, in saddle members 2 which are arranged over the trucks (not shown) and are each provided with a center bearing 8 for the king bolt of the truck, and side-bearing members 3 to cooperate with the side bearings of the truck-bolsters. The saddle members 2 are each preferably formed in its upper portion with a central arc-shaped depression l, constituting a seat to receive the bottom of the tank body, which is secured to the said saddle members by rivets 5, extending through the bottom of the tank shell,

and the upper flanges 6 of the saddle members. Each saddle member is provided with supporting members in the form preferably of extensions 7, projecting laterally beyond the tank body, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the upper edges of said projecting portions 7 being preferably horizontal, as shown in Fig. 2.

Extending longitudinally of the tank body on opposite sides of the latter, and supported on the said extensions 7 are running boards 8, which extend from end to end of the tank and are located preferably outwardly beyond the tank, a sutlicient distance to permit easy passage of trainmen along the same. The ends of the projecting portions 7 on each side of the tank body are connected by one or more truss rods 9, each rod consisting preferably of two sections connected by a turn-buckle 10 whereby the length of the truss rod may be adjusted, and the tension thereof regulated. Each truss rod is preferably provided with two vertically disposed struts 11, each provided at its bottom portion with a recess 12, to hold its truss rod in position, while at its upper portion it engages the bottom of the running board 8, whereby the running board is stitfened and supported rigidly in a horizontal position. The ends of the running boards 8 preferably project beyond the ends of the car, and are connected by running boards 18 to permit passage of the trainmen around the end of the tank car.

By the construction just described the running boards are rigidly supported clear of the tank car, and are not dependent in any way for their support upon the shell of the tank so that the latter is relieved of any strains which might be exerted thereon due to weight on the running board. Another advantage resides in the fact that should the running board be struck by an obstacle the blow will not tend to distort the tank shell or tear any of the rivets out of the same, as is usual in cases where the running boards are supported upon brackets riveted directly to the tank shell.

I11 the preferred embodiment the running boards rest on the upper surfaces of the extensions 7 without fastening devices, the engagement of the yokes or recesses at the bottom of the struts which are connected to the boards engaging over truss rods serving to hold the running boards detachably in position.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 4,5 and 6, is shown a car construction embodying an underframe comprising a center sill made up of channel beams 14C, 14. The center sill supports at its end portions laterally extending transverse members 15, 15, riveted to said center sill and adapted to be ar- 'anged over the truck bolsters (not shown). Bridging the space between the said channel beams 1 L, lat is a plate 16, which, with the upper surface of the said beams, forms a substantially horizontal surface, the tank body 17 being supported upon pillow blocks 18 resting in cradles l9, and blocks 1.8 on said plate 16, as is the case with the saddle mem bers 2 shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the ends of the members 15, 15, project beyond the tank, and have supported thereon the running boards 8, which are braced and stiffened by the truss rods 9 and struts 11, in a manner similar to the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent of the United States is:

In a tank car construction, in combination, a tank body, members for receiving the tank body, said members each having an extension projecting beyond the side of the tank body, a running board supported by said OK- tensions, a. truss member connecting said extensions, and a strut between said truss 111ember and the running board.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ABRAM E. SMITH.

IVitnesses GEO. E. Cause, M. E. MoNINoiI.

Copies of thispatent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Iatents,

. Washington, D. C. 

